MONSANTO EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR DIVERSE WORKFORCE

For the 10th year, Monsanto Company has again been named to DiversityInc’s 2017 List of Top 50 Companies for Diversity , ranking No. 39, up from No. 43 last year. The St. Louis-based sustainable agriculture company earned the recognition based upon its commitment to inclusion and diversity, as well as its exceptional corporate leadership, talent development initiatives, strong employee resource groups and support of local communities around the world.

Additionally, the company earned recognition on four of DiversityInc’s specialty lists, ranking No. 9 on the DiversityInc Top Companies for People with Disabilities List; ranking No.7 on DiversityInc’s Top Companies for Employee Resource Groups; ranking No. 7 on DiversityInc’s Top Companies for Progress List and also appearing on the DiversityInc Top Companies for Global Diversity List.

“Our continued focus on diverse thinking, diverse experiences and diverse approaches has enriched Monsanto’s employee culture and contributed to the successful relationships we enjoy with each of our farmer customers,” said Hugh Grant, Monsanto’s Chairman and CEO. “Embracing a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds is how we leverage strengths and build the strong partnerships needed to pursue solutions to the big challenges we all share.”

“Deep understanding and respect for different cultures is critical for a global company like Monsanto,” added Melissa Harper, Monsanto’s Vice President of Global Talent and Inclusion & Diversity. “Farmers from all over the world look to us for innovative, modern agricultural solutions. Inclusion and diversity are crucial in creating a great place to work for our employees and are key to the success of our company.”

Monsanto’s dedication to providing a globally inclusive and diverse work environment extends not only to its more than 20,000 employees, but also to the many internal and external partnerships the company actively maintains. This includes supplier diversity mentoring, unconscious bias training, offering student scholarships and recruiting and developing top talent. Additionally, Monsanto is part of an elite group of companies with a human rights policy that specifically references the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. In the decade since Monsanto adopted its own Human Rights Policy, Monsanto has sought to identify and do business with vendors and other business partners who aspire in the conduct of their business to ethical standards consistent with this policy, including the equal and fair treatment of all people.

These efforts have also led other third-party organizations such as Fortune Magazine, the Human Rights Campaign, and Great Places to Work Institute® , to recognize Monsanto as an employer of choice.

Each company’s rank on the DiversityInc list is based on an objective analysis of 183 separate factors, based on data from a 300-question survey. To be eligible for the list, organizations must have at least 1,000 U.S.-based employees and fill out the survey, which is divided into four areas: Talent Pipeline, Equitable Talent Development, CEO/Leadership Commitment and Supplier Diversity. For the entire Top 50 list, visit http://www.diversityinc.com/top50 or follow the conversation online via Twitter® at #DITop50.